ACADIAN-CAJUN Genealogy & History: Nova Scotia

There are several 'pockets' of Acadian descendants found in Nova Scotia today. In some cases, you may find Acadian names but not the culture. This occurs in urban areas (ie. Halifax), in the former Beaubassin area (Minudie, Maccan, Nappan), and the communities of Pomquet, Tracadie, and Havre-Boucher. They can be found at:

Clare (Digby County) has perhaps the largest, most "Acadian" group on the French Shore. At the time of the return of the Acadians in the province after 1763, the lands they had previously occupied were now settled by the New England Planters whom had arrived after 1760. The Nova Scotia government allowed the Acadians to re-establish themselves provided they settled in areas other than their former homelands. Some arrived on the shores of present-day St. Mary's Bay, in Digby County to become primarily fishermen who supplemented their livelihood with small-scale farming, lumbering and boat building. Joseph Dugas and his family were the first to arrive in 1768. In subsequent years, other pioneer families arrived. Family names included: Amirault, Belliveau, Blinn, Boudreau, Comeau, Deveau, Doucet, Gaudet, Jeddry, LeBlanc, Lombard, Maillet, Melanson, Muise, Pothier, Robichaud, Saulnier, Thériault, Thibault, Thibodeau and Thimot. Today, the Municipality of Clare is the only one of its kind to operate in French within the province. When in the area, be sure to check out Université Sainte-Anne (which contains an Acadian Cultural and Genealogical Centre), St. Mary's church, the Acadian Museum and Tourism Office in Meteghan (which also has a Collège de l'Acadie Learning Centre).
Argyle (Yarmouth County) has a number of Acadian communities in the former Pobomcoup/Cap Sable area. Some of these towns are Pubnico, Quinan, Belleville, and Sainte-Anne-du-Ruisseau. Acadian surnames in this area include: Amirault, Babin, Belliveau, Boucher, Boudreau, Bourque, Corporon, Cottreau, d'Entremont, d'Eon, Deveau, Doucette, Dulong, Jacquard, Landry, LeBlanc, Moulaison, Muise, Pothier, Surette, Richard, and Vacon. When in the area, be sure to check out the Acadian Historical Village at West Pubnico.
Cheticamp (Inverness County) and nearby villages, first settled by the Acadian "Fourteen Elders" in 1782. Acadian surnames in the area include: Aucoin, Boudreau, Bourgeois, Camus, Chiasson, Cormier, Delaney, Deveau, Doucet, Fiset, Gallant, Gaudet, Haché, Harris, Larade, LaPierre, LeBlanc, LeFort, LeLièvre, LeVert, Maillet, Muise, Poirier, Roach, and Romard. When in the area, be sure to check out the Acadian Museum.
Chezzecook (near Halifax) was probably first settled by Acadians who had been held at Halifax until the Treaty in 1763. They were later joined by Acadians from Isle Royale and Isle Madame. When in the area, be sure to check out the Acadian House Museum in this area.
Isle Madame (Richmond County) was repopulated with Acadians in the later 1700s (though there had been some settlement there before the Deportation). Some of the towns in the area include: Arichat, West Arichat, Port Royal, D'Escousse, Poulamon, Rivière-Bourgeois, Martinique, L'Ardoise, and Saint-Pierre. The family names The Acadian surnames in this area include: Babin, Benoît, Boudreau, Briand, Forgeron, Fougère, Girroir, Gerroir, Gerrior, Landry, Levandier, LaLeucher, LeBlanc, Marchand, Martell, Mombourquette, Pâté, Poirier, Richard, Samson, Thériault, and Thibeau. When in the area, be sure to check out the Acadian Cultural Center and Nicholas Denys Museum. La Picasse has a College de l'Acadie Learning Centre.
Antigonish County has several villages settled by Acadians after they were allowed to return to Acadia in the 1770s and 1780s. These include Pomquet, Tracadie and Havre Boucher. Acadian-related surnames in the area include: Barriault, Begin, Bellefontaine, Benoit, Boucher, Boudreau, Briand, Broussard, Charpentier, Cornu, Coté, Daigle, DeCoste, Deon, Jacquet dit DesLauriers, Doiron, Drouillet, Fougere, Girroir, Landry, LaMarre, LeBlanc, Levandier, LeParou, Mathe, Maillet, Melanson, Meunier, Morell, Phillipard, Rennie, Roger, Roi, Toupain, Venedam, Vincent, and Wolfe.
Guysborough County has Acadian descendants that resettled there from Chezzetcook. They established the towns of Larry's River, Charlos Cove, and Port Felix. Acadian surnames in this area include: Bellefontaine, Benoit, Boudreau, David, Déon, Doiron, Fougère, Gerrior, Mannette, Pellerin, Pettipas, Richard, and Roi.

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1604 to 1713
	First settled by the French eager to make money, within a few decades colonization and settling down to raise families took hold. Over its first century, Acadia changed hands multiple times. It was called Nova Scotia as early as 1621 when Sir William Alexander got a charter to develop 'New Scotland.' The local population continued to call it Acadia until the time of the deportations.

1713 to 1763
	In 1710, England took firm hold of Acadia in the Treaty of Utrecht. Though Acadians continued to live there, the English preferred to have its own (English-speaking, Protestant) settlers. It took them several decades, but finally in the mid 1750s they started colonizing the area with their own people. In conjunction with this, Charles Lawrence decided to deport the Acadians. Two large deportations (in 1755 and 1758) and Acadians fleeing to French Canada practically emptied the land of Acadians. Then the peace treaty came in 1763, Acadians were allowed to return.

1763 to the Present
Most did not return for various reasons. Those that did found that their fine farming land they had cultivated for over a century had been given to the English settlers and the Acadians would get the leftovers. Still, some did return.
There are several 'pockets' of Acadian descendants found in Nova Scotia today. In some cases, you may find Acadian names but not the culture. This occurs in urban areas (ie. Halifax), in the former Beaubassin area (Minudie, Maccan, Nappan), and the communities of Pomquet, Tracadie, and Havre-Boucher. They can be found at: Clare (Digby County) has perhaps the largest, most "Acadian" group on the French Shore. At the time of the return of the Acadians in the province after 1763, the lands they had previously occupied were now settled by the New England Planters whom had arrived after 1760. The Nova Scotia government allowed the Acadians to re-establish themselves provided they settled in areas other than their former homelands. Some arrived on the shores of present-day St. Mary's Bay, in Digby County to become primarily fishermen who supplemented their livelihood with small-scale farming, lumbering and boat building. Joseph Dugas and his family were the first to arrive in 1768. In subsequent years, other pioneer families arrived. Family names included: Amirault, Belliveau, Blinn, Boudreau, Comeau, Deveau, Doucet, Gaudet, Jeddry, LeBlanc, Lombard, Maillet, Melanson, Muise, Pothier, Robichaud, Saulnier, Thériault, Thibault, Thibodeau and Thimot. Today, the Municipality of Clare is the only one of its kind to operate in French within the province. When in the area, be sure to check out Université Sainte-Anne (which contains an Acadian Cultural and Genealogical Centre), St. Mary's church, the Acadian Museum and Tourism Office in Meteghan (which also has a Collège de l'Acadie Learning Centre). Argyle (Yarmouth County) has a number of Acadian communities in the former Pobomcoup/Cap Sable area. Some of these towns are Pubnico, Quinan, Belleville, and Sainte-Anne-du-Ruisseau. Acadian surnames in this area include: Amirault, Babin, Belliveau, Boucher, Boudreau, Bourque, Corporon, Cottreau, d'Entremont, d'Eon, Deveau, Doucette, Dulong, Jacquard, Landry, LeBlanc, Moulaison, Muise, Pothier, Surette, Richard, and Vacon. When in the area, be sure to check out the Acadian Historical Village at West Pubnico. Cheticamp (Inverness County) and nearby villages, first settled by the Acadian "Fourteen Elders" in 1782. Acadian surnames in the area include: Aucoin, Boudreau, Bourgeois, Camus, Chiasson, Cormier, Delaney, Deveau, Doucet, Fiset, Gallant, Gaudet, Haché, Harris, Larade, LaPierre, LeBlanc, LeFort, LeLièvre, LeVert, Maillet, Muise, Poirier, Roach, and Romard. When in the area, be sure to check out the Acadian Museum. Chezzecook (near Halifax) was probably first settled by Acadians who had been held at Halifax until the Treaty in 1763. They were later joined by Acadians from Isle Royale and Isle Madame. When in the area, be sure to check out the Acadian House Museum in this area. Isle Madame (Richmond County) was repopulated with Acadians in the later 1700s (though there had been some settlement there before the Deportation). Some of the towns in the area include: Arichat, West Arichat, Port Royal, D'Escousse, Poulamon, Rivière-Bourgeois, Martinique, L'Ardoise, and Saint-Pierre. The family names The Acadian surnames in this area include: Babin, Benoît, Boudreau, Briand, Forgeron, Fougère, Girroir, Gerroir, Gerrior, Landry, Levandier, LaLeucher, LeBlanc, Marchand, Martell, Mombourquette, Pâté, Poirier, Richard, Samson, Thériault, and Thibeau. When in the area, be sure to check out the Acadian Cultural Center and Nicholas Denys Museum. La Picasse has a College de l'Acadie Learning Centre. Antigonish County has several villages settled by Acadians after they were allowed to return to Acadia in the 1770s and 1780s. These include Pomquet, Tracadie and Havre Boucher. Acadian-related surnames in the area include: Barriault, Begin, Bellefontaine, Benoit, Boucher, Boudreau, Briand, Broussard, Charpentier, Cornu, Coté, Daigle, DeCoste, Deon, Jacquet dit DesLauriers, Doiron, Drouillet, Fougere, Girroir, Landry, LaMarre, LeBlanc, Levandier, LeParou, Mathe, Maillet, Melanson, Meunier, Morell, Phillipard, Rennie, Roger, Roi, Toupain, Venedam, Vincent, and Wolfe. Guysborough County has Acadian descendants that resettled there from Chezzetcook. They established the towns of Larry's River, Charlos Cove, and Port Felix. Acadian surnames in this area include: Bellefontaine, Benoit, Boudreau, David, Déon, Doiron, Fougère, Gerrior, Mannette, Pellerin, Pettipas, Richard, and Roi.

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